Steve Nichols

Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has hit out at IndyCar’s safety following recent major incidents in both single-seater series. Massa was one of several drivers to speak positively on social media about F1’s introduction of the halo following its role in protecting Charles Leclerc after his car was hit by Fernando Alonso’s McLaren at the

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has elaborated why Nico Hulkenberg did not receive as harsh a penalty as Romain Grosjean was given after a similar incident at Spa six years ago. Grosjean was handed a one-race ban after triggering the crash at La Source in the 2012 Belgian GP, while on Sunday Hulkenberg received a

FIM Safety Officer Franco Uncini claims Silverstone’s new for 2018 track surface has deteriorated considerably since it was first laid after the cancellation of MotoGP’s British Grand Prix. Race director Mike Webb said the fresh asphalt was directly responsible for Sunday’s race being called off, as the track failed to drain properly on a day

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will have to take Italian Grand Prix grid penalties when he becomes the first driver to use Renault’s new ‘spec C’ Formula 1 engine. Ricciardo is out-of-sequence on engine usage following failures earlier in the season, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said the team has chosen to take the

Will Power insists he is still in the 2018 IndyCar title fight, despite trailing championship favourites Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi with just two races remaining. The Penske driver won last weekend’s race at Gateway, moving past long-time race leader Dixon on lap 150 of 243 and storming clear of Dixon and Rossi. It was

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting says he was “amused” by Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion after the Belgian GP that Ferrari has trick things on its cars. The reigning world champion later clarified he didn’t mean to imply the Italian team was doing anything illegal. Whiting said Hamilton couldn’t know what Ferrari is doing under the

Charles Leclerc feels “lucky” after seeing the damage to his Sauber Formula 1 car’s halo caused by an airborne Fernando Alonso in the Belgian Grand Prix first-corner crash. Alonso was rear-ended by Nico Hulkenberg under braking for La Source, which sent the McLaren up and over Leclerc’s car and it made contact with Leclerc’s halo

Jack Miller and Johann Zarco were the only MotoGP riders present in an emergency riders’ safety commission at Silverstone who wanted the British Grand Prix to proceed. After hours of delays due to rain – and with the newly relaid Silverstone track surface not draining properly – it was decided by the riders, in consultation

MotoGP race director Mike Webb said the cancellation of the British Grand Prix was because Silverstone’s new-for-2018 asphalt was not safe enough to race under wet conditions. In an attempt to get rid of long-standing bumps and give the circuit layout a consistent asphalt, Silverstone was resurfaced in its entirety for the first time since

MotoGP’s British Grand Prix has been cancelled due to torrential rain at Silverstone. Despite the efforts of race organisers to avoid forecast rain, which led to the race being rescheduled for 1130 local time instead of 1300 as originally planned, a downpour at the Northamptonshire track meant the race could not be started. The pitlane

Sebastian Vettel claimed a dominant victory in the Belgian Grand Prix as a dramatic first-corner crash provided the major talking point on Formula 1’s return from its summer break. Vettel drafted title rival and poleman Lewis Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight on the opening lap, drafting past the Mercedes as the Racing Point Force Indias

World Rally Championship driver Dani Sordo took a podium finish from his one-off European Rally Championship outing in Hyundai’s R5 car on Rally Zlin. Hyundai entered Sordo on the Czech event, which was his first run in the R5 car, in a bid to showcase the ERC-eligible version of the i20. He spent the wet/dry

Mercedes dominated the first running of the Suzuka 10 Hours, with the GruppeM squad leading a one-two finish for the German manufacturer. The #888 trio of Raffaele Marciello, Maro Engel and Tristan Vautier moved into the lead at the start of the second hour and were unchallenged for victory thereafter, ending Audi’s unbeaten streak in

Penske’s Will Power kept his slim 2018 IndyCar title hopes alive by winning as championship favourites Alexander Rossi and Scott Dixon duelled in a late strategic battle at Gateway. Power took the decisive lead on the 150th tour of the 243-lap race, swooping past Dixon. But throughout the race, the field was caught in the

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has revealed that IndyCar driver Robert Wickens is now breathing without assistance for the first time since his serious Pocono crash. Wickens suffered heavily bruised lungs – as well as injuries to his arm, spine, legs and feet – but the latest update reveals that the IndyCar rookie has taken another step

MotoGP race director Mike Webb says the asphalt at certain Silverstone corners will be cut in a bid to improve drainage, with Sunday’s race under threat from expected heavy rain. Following a spate of crashes at Stowe during a heavy downpour in FP4 on Saturday – one of which resulted in a serious leg injury

Esteban Ocon is still linked with a 2018 McLaren move, but Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says several “chess figures” would have to move for it to happen. With the door now closed at Renault for 2019 with Daniel Ricciardo’s upcoming move, and Racing Point Force India set to feature Lance Stroll and Sergio

Racing Point Force India is to lose its place on Formula 1’s influential Strategy Group as part of the new team deal that saved its future, Autosport has learned. The Strategy Group is made up of representatives from the FIA and FOM, plus the Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Williams outfits – as well

Avintia Ducati MotoGP rider Tito Rabat is to undergo “emergency surgery” on Saturday evening after suffering a broken leg in an impact with Franco Morbidelli’s bike at Silverstone. Rabat was hit by Morbidelli’s Marc VDS Honda machine in the gravel at Stowe corner in the closing stages of fourth practice, shortly after heavy rain fell

Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi says he is “very upset” about a mistake in his pit box that has consigned him to 12th on the grid for MotoGP’s Silverstone round. Rossi was slowest of all in the delayed Q2 pole shootout, which was affected by rain, after he failed to leave the pits in time to

Lewis Hamilton says the uncertainty over Esteban Ocon’s Formula 1 future shows that grand prix racing’s structure is “probably wrong”. Ocon, who is backed by Mercedes, starred in the wet conditions late-on during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday, putting his Racing Point Force India car third on the grid. The Frenchman’s short-term

Jorge Lorenzo grabbed his second pole of the MotoGP season in a rain-affected and delayed British Grand Prix pole shootout at Silverstone, leading a Ducati 1-2 ahead of Andrea Dovizioso. Heavy rain at the tail-end of FP4 caused several riders to fall at Stowe corner, an incident that resulted in Tito Rabat being struck by

Taiwanese squad HubAuto Corse claimed pole position for the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s inaugural Suzuka 10 Hours with its Pro-Am Ferrari in a truncated qualifying session on Saturday. The #28 488 GT3 of Nick Foster, David Perel and Hiroki Yoshida topped the group stage of qualifying, ending up nearly two seconds clear of its nearest challenger

IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon will start on pole position for Saturday night’s race at Gateway after qualifying was cancelled due to a day blighted by bad weather. Dixon’s title rival Alexander Rossi topped the only practice session run so far, which featured a further rain delay as an altered schedule followed earlier showers.

Ryan Hunter-Reay is just going for race wins now his IndyCar championship bid has faltered, but will also try to help Andretti Autosport team-mate Alexander Rossi claim the title. Hunter-Reay, the 2012 IndyCar champion, took his first win for almost three years in Detroit this season but has suffered multiple misfortunes since. Last weekend he

Sportscar racer Katherine Legge is open to trying NASCAR oval racing, having made her stock car debut in recent Xfinity Series road course rounds. Former Champ Car/IndyCar, DTM and Formula E driver Legge is competing for JD Motorsports again in this weekend’s Road America NASCAR Xfinity event after a late engine failure curtailed her first

IndyCar has refuted Sebastien Bourdais’ criticism of the fence repair carried out following Robert Wickens’ Pocono crash last weekend. Wickens sustained serious injuries when he launched over Ryan Hunter-Reay’s car and into the catchfencing in an accident that caused a two-hour stoppage. Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan driver Bourdais initially expressed reluctance to take part

The new SIC Yamaha MotoGP team has confirmed it will carry title sponsorship from Petronas, while officially unveiling 2019 riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo and its Moto2 and Moto3 line-ups. SIC will replace the Angel Nieto Ducati team on the MotoGP grid next year, and will take over from Tech3 as Yamaha’s satellite team.

Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has lost a legal case brought by his former agent, who must now be paid 20 per cent of his earnings until 2021. A judge in Denmark has ruled that Magnussen’s former agent Dorte Riis Madsen must receive 20% of Magnussen’s income between September 1, 2015 and June 30,

Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren needs to sort its reliability before it can think about comparing him with Lando Norris, his potential rival for a 2019 Formula 1 seat. With McLaren assessing its options for Carlos Sainz Jr’s team-mate after Fernando Alonso’s exit next year, its reserve driver Norris made his grand prix weekend debut in